Whenever we consider the Christmas Story, it is only right that the central figure always be Jesus. It’s His story, and to let anything else overshadow Christ would be morally wrong and Biblically inaccurate (which I suppose ends up being the same thing). The second focal point is typically Mary, and it makes sense as to why. In considering the virgin woman, chosen by God to fulfill His prophecy and birth His Son into the world, a sense of wonder and respect makes sense. What we don’t see as much is a consideration or appreciation for Joseph. In certain groups (primarily Catholicism) there’s a degree of attention paid to Mary that verges on worship, and while I in no way mean to demean or disrespect the role she was allowed to serve, but there’s a scant amount of attention given to the fact that God chose Joseph to carry out the role of Jesus’s earthly father just as much as He chose Mary as mother. The purity and virtue of the virgin Mary is often acknowledged and praised, but what of the character and nature of Joseph? What we see in this section of text is that God chose a man who was obedient and embodied characteristics that Jesus would one day teach and guide the people of Israel toward.
- Love in the Law
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.”
We see that the birth of Jesus was primed for tragedy from the perspective of the law. Mary is betrothed to Joseph, a formal arrangement that would go beyond what is entailed in a modern day engagement. From what I’ve read, despite not being married yet, Mary and Joseph would have been considered husband and wife from a cultural perspective, though not allowed to have sexual relations yet. This put Mary in a position of appearing to be an adulteress, the penalty for which under Mosaic law would have been stoning. Joseph would have been well within his rights to seek this punishment for Mary, in pride or fury he could have formally and publicly had her charged as an adulteress. But we see that Joseph was compassionate and just. Despite believing that he had been wronged, he showed his love for Mary in seeking to preserve her honor by divorcing her, yet doing so without publicly shaming her, which would have most likely led to her death. His behavior give an example of the nuance of the law that Jesus repeatedly addressed with the pharisees, frequently illustrated by their clashes concerning the Sabbath.
Matthew 12:3-8,
“He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,” you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.’”
In referencing David’s story regarding the bread of the Presence, the duties of the temple priests and finally with His quote from Hosea 6:6, Jesus shows the true nature of the Sabbath. His declaration that He is “lord of the Sabbath” is not a matter of Him using His deity to usurp the law – He is Lord and Master of the Sabbath because He, unlike the pharisees and other religious leaders understands the meaning and Spirit of the law. This is shown in Joseph’s conduct with Mary – the law was not meant to be a rod in the hand for one man to beat and chastise another with. The devotion, the aim of the practice was all about honor, praise, and obedience before God. Further validating the noble nature of Joseph’s decision concerning Mary, we see elements of love as Paul wrote about it in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7,
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
- Love in God’s Provision
“But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”
God sends an angel to explain the truth of things to Joseph and give him instruction, addressing him as a son of David, drawing the reader back to the relevance of the genealogy. This direction from an angel of the Lord accomplishes a few things. One is that it protects Mary and subsequently baby Jesus from societal and cultural backlash. Even if Joseph had been discreet in the process of divorcing Mary and kept her from suffering open public shame and possible execution, she still would have been a single, unmarried mother. This would have put her in a compromised position, socially and financially, and created a multitude of hardships. It could have still earned her scorn and judgement from her family and her people as a whole, all of which would impact the infant Jesus. It is obviously not beyond God to provide for any and every situation, but creating and directing Mary and Joseph down this path He shows among other things the commitment and importance of His design for the family unit. It also serves to highlight that our God is not tyrannical, but loving and compassionate. God doesn’t owe Joseph an explanation and it’s not as if it’s beyond His power to provide for Mary and His son. But rather than force His will on Mary and Joseph God explains the plan and purpose of what’s taking place and telling them both not to be afraid. He shares with them the good news that is coming and allows them to know the instrumental role they’re being allowed to play. While it is certainly in keeping with the character He has shown throughout scripture, this is another example of God’s love and compassion for His people. This is not dissimilar from what God has done in the past, sending guidance and reassurance to His servants so that they might know provision has been made for them and take comfort.
Exodus 6:7,
“I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
Jeremiah 32:37-39,
“Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them.”
Ezekiel 37:27-28,
“My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”
2 Samuel 7:12-17,
“’When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4,
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
Our God – the Living God, the only God is the God of all comfort. He does not leave His children to suffer needlessly in the dark but shares with us His plans and the coming glory.
- Love in Obedience
“When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”
Again, we see Joseph’s nature as a testament, and reminder that God chose this man for His purposes just as much as He did Mary. Joseph wakes from his dream and immediately follows the commandments he has been given. We see no second guessing or badgering God for validation as is seen from Gideon in the book of Judges, he doesn’t take God’s instruction and then act out the desires of his sinful heart as Saul did with the Amalekites, losing his kingdom, and Joseph doesn’t receive God’s word and run fearfully from the task before him as Jonah did. We don’t see Joseph stop and contemplate the complications or difficulties of what lies ahead, but in immediate obedience, showing his love for Mary and more importantly his love and trust for the Lord.
Joseph was ultimately a sin-stained human, a man fallen short as we all are. But the character traits he’s shown to possess in Matthew’s account of the Christmas story give a new light and appreciation for the man God cultivated and chose to serve as the earthly father to the Christ. It grants a new respect for the heart of Joseph, son of David and a new awe for the God that knows the hearts of men so deeply and makes provision for us in His plans. His peace is perfect, His comfort complete and He is worthy of all obedience.
Pastor Chris’s sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUQqE1CKRxU
Ravens and Lilies - Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ 
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